Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy

A new 6-story building is being constructed on the Mark51°7 development site in Bochum for the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy, which was founded in 2019 as an interdisciplinary center of excellence. A new hub for leading research institutions, startups, and high-tech companies. In addition to offices, laboratories, and server rooms, the new building—which features a ground floor, a basement, and four upper floors—includes a cafeteria, seminar rooms, a large lecture hall, and a laboratory wing. Up to 350 researchers will work here in 18 research groups in state-of-the-art facilities under forward-looking working conditions to develop solutions for cybersecurity and data protection.

The building is designed as a highly flexible reinforced concrete frame structure with beamless flat slabs. An option to add another upper floor above the hall has been incorporated into the design. CO₂-minimized concrete is used to ensure sustainable, resource-efficient construction. Distinctive features of the structural design include the atrium with its wide-span ceiling, the town hall staircase, and the reinforced concrete spiral staircase cantilevering from the edges of the ceiling. The ceiling of the large lecture hall is designed as a prestressed flat slab to support the loads from the four upper floors. This creates a column-free hall with maximum flexibility for installations. The test hall, with its integrated crane system, features reinforced concrete joists supported by columns.

When planning the foundation on the former mining site, methane gases resulting from past mining operations and the decomposition of organic matter had to be taken into account. The materials for the substructure and the foundation/base components were selected so that methane gas can flow around the building and be safely vented. The optimized foundation in the former mining area consists of a combined pile and shallow foundation system. The building sections, which are up to 6 stories tall, are founded on piles, while the areas with fewer stories are constructed using shallow foundations. A special feature is the structural decoupling system, which ensures vibration-free operation of the electron microscope.